India’s total wireless subscriber base crossed 1.31 billion in August 2026, according to the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel led mobile subscriber additions, while 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and UBR-based FWA continued to expand the country’s wireless broadband base.
India’s Wireless Subscriber Base Reaches 1.31 Billion
TRAI’s August 2026 data shows India’s total wireless subscriber base increased from 1,306.27 million at the end of July to 1,312.25 million at the end of August. This represents monthly growth of 0.46%.
The wireless mobile subscriber base, excluding fixed wireless connections, rose from 1,287.92 million to 1,293.43 million, a monthly increase of 0.43%. Wireless tele-density also increased from 91.33% to 91.69%.
The broader wireless figure includes mobile and Fixed Wireless Access connections, while TRAI’s calculation also includes M2M cellular connections in wireless subscriber and tele-density calculations.
Jio and Airtel Lead Mobile Subscriber Additions
Reliance Jio added 2.40 million wireless mobile subscribers during August, taking its subscriber base to 508.43 million. Bharti Airtel added 2.11 million users, ending the month with about 491.60 million subscribers.
Vodafone Idea added 506,139 subscribers, while BSNL gained 492,831 mobile users. MTNL was the only major operator among these companies to report a decline, losing 5,879 subscribers during the month.
Overall, India’s wireless mobile subscriber base increased by 5.51 million in August. Jio held about 39.31% of the mobile market, followed by Airtel at 38.01%, Vi at 15.43% and BSNL at 7.24%.
5G FWA Base Rises to 13.45 Million
Fixed Wireless Access continued to grow in August. TRAI reported 13.45 million 5G FWA subscribers at the end of the month, up from 13.21 million in July.
The August total comprised 9.42 million Jio 5G FWA connections and 4.03 million Airtel connections. Jio added 148,870 5G FWA users during the month, while Airtel added 96,339. Overall, 5G FWA increased by 245,209 connections, or 1.86%, in August.
The rural footprint is also notable. Of the 13.45 million 5G FWA connections, 6.98 million were in rural areas and 6.47 million were in urban areas. Rural users therefore accounted for 51.90% of the 5G FWA base in August.
Jio’s UBR FWA Base Crosses 5.3 Million
Jio’s UBR-based FWA service added another 229,659 subscribers during August, taking the base from 5.14 million in July to 5.37 million.
The UBR FWA base grew 4.47% month-on-month. TRAI’s data shows 3.80 million UBR connections in urban areas and 1.57 million in rural areas, giving rural users a 29.28% share of Jio’s UBR FWA base.
Combined with 5G FWA, these two wireless fixed-access categories accounted for approximately 18.82 million connections at the end of August. However, this should not be interpreted as evidence that FWA has already replaced traditional fibre or copper broadband. The TRAI figures demonstrate the scale and continued growth of wireless fixed broadband, but do not measure substitution between technologies.
Broadband Base Crosses 1.10 Billion
India’s overall broadband subscriber base increased to about 1.101 billion in August from 1.094 billion in July, representing monthly growth of 0.61%.
Jio remained the largest broadband provider with 538.03 million subscribers, followed by Airtel at 386.39 million and Vi at 130.88 million. The five largest broadband providers together accounted for 98.58% of the market.
Wireline connections also increased during the month, rising from 48.01 million to 48.45 million. Jio added 187,797 wireline subscribers and Airtel added 131,133, indicating that wireless broadband growth is happening alongside continued expansion in wired connections rather than replacing them outright.
M2M Connections Rise to 140.5 Million
TRAI’s August report also shows continued growth in cellular machine-to-machine connectivity. M2M cellular connections increased from 137.70 million in July to 140.50 million in August.
Airtel remained the largest M2M provider with 86.06 million connections, followed by Jio with 27.10 million and Vi with 22.57 million. BSNL had 4.78 million M2M connections.
What the August Data Shows
The August numbers point to growth across several parts of India’s telecom market. Jio and Airtel together accounted for more than 4.5 million of the month’s 5.51 million net mobile additions, while Vi and BSNL also recorded positive additions.
At the same time, FWA is becoming a significant part of India’s broadband landscape. The 13.45 million 5G FWA connections, combined with 5.37 million UBR FWA connections, show that wireless technologies are already supporting millions of fixed broadband connections across urban and rural markets.
For operators, the August data therefore highlights two parallel trends: continued competition for mobile subscribers and increasing use of wireless technologies to deliver fixed broadband. The next monthly reports will show whether these trends continue as India’s telecom market moves into the festive season.
